Sustainability...

Despite our ability to produce attractive displays of colourful annual flowers, our group has always been aware of the need to plant for the future.

One of the groups earliest projects was to develop an unkempt area at Victoria Place to provide an attractive multipurpose area for the benefit of residents. This location was grassed, lined with a variety of shrubs, and seats were provided with the assistance of local residents. Eventually an additional bed was formed recently when illegal use by car drivers caused damage and threatened to spoil the area for many others.

We were also happy to support the initiative of a local resident who adopted a piece of grassland on the eastern edge of the village a few years ago where an attractive, mature, sustainable planted area now exists.

Victoria Place Before	Telephone Exchange Before
After	After

A more recent sustainable planting project was carried out in 2006 when, after taking advice on the types of plants that would provide colour and support wildlife, members bedded out one edge of the West Loan. The second phase to be undertaken in the current year will see native species including birch and alder being added to complete the bed.

Further sustainable planting is now well established at the Clough in Balmblae where rowans, elder, alder, broom and wild roses were planted in an effort to augment the plants like rosebay willow herb, celandine and oxeye daisy already supporting the existence of wild life there. Involving young people, much work done on the site saw the clearance of self seeded sycamore and the complete elimination of Japanese Knotweed.

The start made to a wildflower meadow in Balmblae several years ago has at last begun to show signs of success after some difficulty. This area was rotovated and seeds were scattered in Spring resulting in a fine show of colour to support insect life. Fife Rangers from the Coast and Countryside Trust then undertook tedding to help spread seeds from the flower heads after the season ended, while every effort is being maintained to ensure the well-being of the local water vole colony. Children helped germinate some seeds and later planted out the plugs they created.

Such projects require regular maintenance and our group is presently planning for the years that lie ahead in an attempt to ensure a continuation of care for the local environment and attractive appearance of our community. The exact format of the way forward for our group is, as yet, undefined, but an ambitious programme of consultation, locally and beyond, will take place soon when we expect to consider a variety of ways to address the future and attempt to make sure the combined efforts of local voluntary groups can continue.

Helping Others

2008 saw Falkland in Bloom holding seminars attracting 60 representatives from some 30 communities throughout Fife and further afield. This was so well received that that another was organized in May 2009, when 38 representatives from 18 groups across Fife attended to hear addresses on the movement to grow more vegetables, combatting dog dirt and other topics to help in improving local communities.

Winning Britain in Bloom's Large Village category in 2008 saw an invitation arrive from Guernsey to address bloom groups on the island on how to achieve success. Members Julia Christiansen and Keith Jackson took this opportunity to divulge some of the methods used each year and the Falkland party was made very welcome during this short visit to warmer climes. See the section on the Home page for more details of our relationship with them.

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